As everyone, I was surprised, saddened and worried when I read of the recent oil rig accident and loss of life in the Gulf. We all grieve when innocent lives are lost, and we worry what the final repercussions will be as the oil continues to spread throughout the region.

I was also startled to read a headline in a national newspaper a few days after the spill. "BP: We Didn't Plan for This." Was the owner of the oil rig telling us that they were not prepared for the cleanup? Or that they did not prepare for an accident ever happening? As I scratched my head, I thought, neither possibility was acceptable.

Surely we cannot know what changes and challenges await us in the future. But can't we look at the world around us and make some educated guesses? For individuals it's knowing that as we get older our health may be an issue, that we will have a change of responsibility from taking care of ourselves to helping family members, that we will have to do more planning for the possessions we have accumulated, and so on. We also know that getting help planning and dealing for these eventualities - using a Personal Safety Net - will make our lives more full, level and planned.

So why is it that BP didn't plan for the negatives and their consequences? Did they not gather experts together and look and plan for all the possibilities that could arise from drilling for oil in an uncertain body of water? They are to be praised for the many, many lives that were saved in this accident. But what about the oil that now will affect thousands of lives and businesses? Was a spill of this kind totally out of the realm of planning? Could a Safety Net of experts and planners have helped to avert some of the spill's consequences?

I don't have the answer, but I do know that when things are going well, in life or business, we don't often stop to think about the possibility of negatives getting in the way - who needs to plan for that now? But remember: reacting is much more costly and inefficient (in so many ways) than planning! Don't get too focused on the road you travel upon - without an occasional stop to think what could happen if the road stops or detours. Nothing lasts forever. Start building your Personal Safety Net now so you'll be better prepared for the challenges and changes ahead.